Friday, March 14, 2008

As everyone in the world now knows, New York’s Governor, Eliot Spitzer, is resigning amidst a sex scandal. On Monday, March 17, Lt. Governor David Paterson will assume his new role as the Governor of New York.

What does this mean for drug policy reform in our state? How might this unprecedented shift in power impact our efforts to get rid of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and implement a new paradigm in New York, a public health approach to drugs?

Albany is still dealing with the aftershocks from the Spitzer crisis, and there are still many unknown factors. Who will be Mr. Paterson’s key staff? What will his agenda be? Will he continue with Mr. Spitzer’s efforts to reform Albany? What’s going to happen with the Sentencing Reform Commission?

As of now, we don’t know the answers to these questions. But we do know quite a bit about Lt. Governor Paterson, and his position on drug policy issues has historically been exceptionally good.

Before being elected as Lt. Governor in 2006 on the Spitzer ticket, Mr. Paterson served as Minority Leader in the State Senate. A twenty-year veteran of the Senate, Mr. Paterson was a key champion of Rockefeller Drug Law reform. In 2004, he released a report which outlined proposals that are, even now, more progressive than anything previously considered.

The Drug Policy Alliance and our allies have worked closely with Mr. Paterson over the years. I’ve met personally with him on numerous occasions to discuss the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and in every instance, without fail, he expressed his commitment to this cause. He always promised to do what he could to win real reform, and he always kept his word to us in our dealings with him.

Like us, he shares the view that drug use and abuse should be viewed as a public health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue. Given the extensive alternative-to-incarceration infrastructure in New York State that can divert people convicted of low-level drug law offenses each year, we are confident that a public health approach to drug policy in New York is within sight.

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